Cherry Blossom
by UnrequitedxLove
Summary: Sasuke is back after years of training with Orochimaru. Now that he's finally defeated his brother and accepted Konoha's betrayal to his family, what more could he be after...?


A/N: This is to my friend Dani, who requested Sasuke x Sakura. I told her to pick a word or something to theme it around and she chose 'cherry blossom'. Uh... let's pretend the normal storyline isn't going on right now, okay? -gigglesnort-

Oh. Yeah. Disclaimer; Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own Naruto, so please do not sue.

ANDANDAND. **Major spoilers ahead**. Like. I know I said the normal storyline isn't going on, but, I used A LOT of what's really happening. If you aren't up to date... don't tell me I didn't warn ya.

--xoxo--

Years had passed since the Sasuke Retrieval mission failed, crashed and burned before Naruto's own eyes. Years since Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba came back injured; Neji, Chouji and Akamaru in critical condition. Years since the attempt on the Akatsuki base, the death of Chiyo and Sasori. Years...

Sasuke had finally returned, begrudgingly. He'd defeated his brother, learned it was mission orders from Konoha that made his brother kill the clan. He had decided not to attempt to destroy Konoha; he let Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo go on their own ways, dismissing them from their rough four-man team. He'd returned to the joy of Ino, Naruto and Sakura; returned and inspired more ninja to be more like him, to train hard enough to defeat the only living Uchiha.

He was awarded a position in ANBU after becoming trustworthy and loyal to konoha. Changed from the outfit he had worn to train under Orochimaru, turning to a more classical black ANBU outfit. He had fought Naruto and Neji, on their own requests. Kakashi and Yamato monitored the battle between Sasuke and Naruto, making sure no low blows were delt. Naruto won, much to the surprise of... nobody, really. Sasuke easily let it go, knowing Naruto would have come to do it eventually. Especially if Sasuke felt no need to use Itachi's eye techniques. Against Neji, it had been called off at a tie. After they both collapsed from lack of chakra, Tenten had run to Neji's side, and Sakura to Sasuke's.

So, why wasn't Sasuke finally happy? He'd (wrongfully, if I may say) avenged his clan, returned home, been elected to ANBU like he used to want, gotten his friends back, participated in friendly fights... What more could our Uchiha want?

"Hey, Sasuke! You're still all sulky!" Naruto stated one night. He'd dragged Sasuke and a few of the other boys their age to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner and guy time.

"Naruto's right, and as troublesome as it is to try and wade into your problems, we want to know what's wrong." Shikamaru stated, digging at his noodles with his chopsticks.

"Yeah, what could you possibly be upset about?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke sighed. "It'd be easier to talk about without half the village here."

"Half the village? Pssh. It's only me, Shikamaru, Sai, Kiba, Neji, Lee, Chouji, and Shino." Naruto stated.

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah, I noticed. Why'd all of you have to be here?"

"We all helped on your retrieval mission, Sasuke! We all care about you and wish to see your springtime of youth!" Lee blurted.

"...Springtime of-"

"Don't ask." Neji cut Sasuke off.

"...Right. Well. I dunno what I'm so 'sulky' about as you put it."

"Hmm..." They all dug around for solutions in their ninja minds.

"He needs something he lacks. Pen-"

"DON'T SAY IT, SAI." Naruto stated, stomping on said ninja's foot. "We don't want to hear it."

"Hey! Maybe he needs more food!" Chouji stated, between mouthfuls of his seventh bowl of ramen.

"Something tells me that's not Sasuke's problem, Chouji." Shino replied sarcastically.

"Maybe he needs a pet! You could visit the Inuzuka kennels, and maybe we'll give you one on the house."

"I don't want a pet." Sasuke sighed.

"Eh. Hana would never let us give you a free one anyways." Kiba shrugged it off, petting the head of his now gigantic dog, Akamaru.

"Hmm. Oh! OH! I KNOW!" Lee jumped up, waving his arm around like a hyper-active kid who knew the answer in his kindergarden class. "Perhaps Sasuke wishes to win the heart of a certain girl, and revive that clan of his like he always talks about!"

"Yeah! That makes sense! Sasuke, we're going to get you a girlfriend!" Naruto shouted excitedly, jumping up, dropping his ramen on the counter, placing one hand on his hip and raising the other in a thumbs up. "We'll totally find you one! Believe it!"

Sasuke stared at him. "...You're kidding. I don't think a-"

"Sasuke, I'm afraid you'll have to face it. You're the only one out of all of us without a girlfriend right now." Shikamaru stated.

Sasuke leaned back to stare at everyone. "...Oh. Well. Who are you all dating, then?"

"I'm with Hinata!" Naruto stated proudly, grinning ear to ear and plopping in his seat.

"I'm with Temari... she's a troublesome woman... don't tell her I said that..." Shikamaru stated, stuffing his mouth with noodles before he could say anything more.

Sai looked up. "I'm with Miss Beautiful, or as you'd know her, Ino."

"I met this girl named Ayame. She's really into animals." Kiba grinned wolfishly.

"Tenten." Neji stated, blushing slightly and stuffing ramen into his mouth.

"Heehee. They just recently got together." Lee winked, then recieved a death glare from Neji. "Anyways, I met a girl named Natsuki! She really admires my determination, and is a lot like Sakura-chan!"

"I met this girl named Kasumi! She's a really good cook!" Chouji nodded vigorously. "She's helping me with a diet... which... I'm sort of breaking right now..." He finished off his bowl of ramen and promised he'd eat no more that night. He did look like he'd lost some weight...

"I met a girl named Miori. She likes studying anything with more than two legs and loves butterflies." Shino stated, glad his jacket could hide his blush.

Sasuke continued staring in disbelief. "...Even Chouji got a girl?"

"Yup! It's only you, now!" Naruto stated, crossing his arms. "...Y'know, Sakura-chan waited all this time for you without taking a SINGLE offer to date. And, believe me, she got asked to dance more than once."

Sasuke sighed. "...I dunno. Wouldn't it be a little... awkward?"

"You wanna talk to me about awkward!? Awkward was watching her CRY every time she thought other people couldn't hear about how you left, and-"

"Naruto. I think he gets it." Shikamaru stated, noticing Sasuke had turned to stare at his food.

"...Well. It's getting late and there's a festival tomorrow. I'm getting some sleep before the youthful Natsuki has to deal with a sleepy me tomorrow!" Lee paid for his ramen and left.

The rest soon followed, until it was only Sasuke. He paid his half and wondered home, looking thoughtful the whole way.

At the Festival

Naruto and Hinata had arrived in glamor, to the insistance of Hinata's father. Hinata had had an elegant kimono made, in a shade of light blue, detailed and trimmed with a darker blue. Butterflies and exotic birds of paradise were patterned on in a lovely design, and she'd blushed and complimented anyone who complimented her. Naruto was forced into an orange and black kimono made directly for him by the same tailors that made Hinata's kimono. Oh, and look at that. Naruto just won her a goldfish. How sweet.

Temari had arrived a day prior to the event, and was being escorted by Shikamaru in an elegant and flowy desert kimono. It was a variety of colors, between black and red and sunset orange. Shikamaru was dressed in a black and green kimono himself, while Temari clung to his arm, insisting he show her around the festival grounds. He muttered something about troublesome, but he was smiling so you could tell he liked it.

Rather than the male escorting the female, Ino was toting Sai around like the newest fashion trend. She was wearing a purple and black kimono with long sleeves but a short hem. It fell to a little below mid thigh. Sai was in his typical stomach revealing outfit, his hand locked with Ino's as she showed him off to all the girls. They both looked like they were enjoying themselves, and if Sai asked a question in a shy way, you could literally hear Ino squeal and throw herself at him, hugging him tightly and stating how adorable he was. He didn't seem to mind.

Kiba and the girl Ayame were wondering around arm in arm. Ayame wasn't too bad looking. She had short black hair with bangs that reached her elbows, and her eyes were a nice shade of blue. She seemed pretty outspoken, and was always looking out at the animal displays. Kiba would always follow her to look, and they'd be in a seemingly good, interesting conversation on animal rights or something of the sorts.

Neji and Tenten sure was a sight to behold. The all-high-and-mighty-fate-and-destiny-preaching Hyuuga was dressed in a creame colored kimono and blushing like there was no tomorrow. Tenten was stroking a strand of his hair fondly, dressed up in a raspberry and white kimono. She had her head on his shoulder and was cooing something that just made him blush more. He was apparently enjoying himself, although he was embarrased.

Lee and Natsuki were currently standing besides a 'test your might' game, and Lee had just rang the bell. Natsuki was smiling and going on about how she knew he could do it. She had shoulder length, straight-cut blonde hair, and a light shade of green eyes. She was staring at Lee with admiration, when he pointed out which prize he wanted and then gave it to her. She looked like she'd combust with how red her face was.

Chouji and Kasumi could be found at a food testing booth, happily chatting over their latest meal or giving out their critique to the chefs. Kasumi wasn't the best looking of all the girls in Konoha, but she was a sweetheart. Her hair was tied back in a sloppy bun that rested against her back, and was a really light brown. Her eyes were a stormy gray, and they looked just a little too far apart for her face shape. She was really kind-hearted though, and was telling a chef how his dumplings needed a little more seasoning.

Shino and Miori were standing at the edge of the festival, while Shino enticed butterflies, ladiebugs and fireflies to whisk around them, making Miori's face light up with a Christmas tree. Miori was a little short for her age, and her face was still a little round-ish which gave off an essence of childish features. Her hair was let out, and fell to her waist in curls of silver. Her eyes were slender and a color so dark they were almost black. They were shimmering with joy right now though, so the color was easily over looked.

The senseis were off running booths; Gai had the 'test your might' thing going and was passing out Taijutsu brochures for classes, for one. Kakashi was running a goldfish game and an 'adult' shop at the same time (go figure). Anko was running an obstacle course, and was currently goading a six-year old to go faster otherwise he'd never reach even a genin level. Asuma was running a shougi competition, and winning since Shikamaru wasn't playing him. Kurenai was hosting a shop of accesories, nearly everything one could imagine. Ibiki was hosting a fortune telling booth with Izumo and Kotetsu, looking like he'd rather be mauled by a bear. Tsunade and Shizune were hosting a mini-gambling bar, and Tsunade was stating something about 'double down' when they were playing Go Fish on her own request. There were empty bottles of sake all around her.

You know. The norm.

However, the one person Uchiha Sasuke wanted to find... was no where to be seen. He was dressed in a black and blue kimono, and had his ANBU mask on for decoration. (AKA - Naruto told him to bring it to 'entice the ladies' then shoved it on him and pushed him out the front door. Same thing...) His obsidian eyes searched the area, as he paced the street the festival was hosted on several times. His mouth was contorted in a frown and he took plan b; asking everyone he knew if they's so much as seen her. After recieving a series and chorus of 'not recently' and 'not since this festival started', he sighed and rubbed his temples. This was so difficult.

Eventually, he gave up, and started taking a shortcut to the Uchiha estate, which was cut off from the normal streets of Konoha. This shortcut required a trek through a field coated with sakura tries and a river, but it was much quicker than going through the streets. As the grass crunched below him, the wind carried a soft sound of sobbing towards him. It cut off and for a while he thought it was just the wind. Then it started coming again, louder and louder. He stopped for a minute to see if it was just his imagination, and when the sobbing continued, he slowly crept forward. He was soon rewarded with the notice he was getting closer by seeing the vague outline of a shaking figure by the river.

As he advanced, he realised what sounded like a she speaking through her tears. He approached with caution until he was close enough to hear, then stopped moving for a time to listen to the figures speech.

"He's finally back... but, he still doesn't want me. Even after all this time I spent waiting!" Here, the figure ran a hand through her hair, sniffling. "It's not fair... I waited all this time for nothing!"

Sasuke had a vague feeling this was about him...

"I've waited the longest, loved him the longest... Even Ino gave up on him! So, why why why doesn't he like me? I'm not ugly... am I? I'm a skilled medic ninja, I have super strength, I'm an excellent ninja... I guess that just isn't enough..." With a sigh and another sniffle, the figure started pulling up grass in an anxious fashion. "What more could Sasuke want...?"

After a moment into that speech, when the voice had seemed to calm down, Sasuke realised he knew that voice. It was who he had been searching for... and after hearing her last line, he picked something that had fallen to the ground in the wind up and made a beeline for the figure.

Seeing the shadow looming over her, Haruno Sakura turned around from her slightly sprawled position with a gasp - to see Sasuke Uchiha. She was horribly embarrased. She looked a mess and if he'd heard her speech... She gulped and rubbed at her eyes with a kimono sleeve, and rather than helping her smeared eyeliner, she only spread the smear out. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and her whole face was red from the event. Her apple green eyes stared up at him, before turning down to look at the ground. Her pink hair was pulled back for the event of the festival, but had already broken it's holds. "S-Sasuke-kun..." She sniffed lightly, raising her kimono sleeve to her face to wipe her eyes again. "I'm surprised to see you here..."

He knelt besides her, staring out at the river for a moment and listening to her. When she stopped talking for a count of minutes, he turned his eyes to her. She was still staring at the ground below her, as if the grass (which one could hardly see through the darkness) was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Sasuke raised what he'd picked up before approaching her and pinned it behind her ear as best he could, causing her to look up at him strangely and shakily raise a hand to feel it. "It's a..."

"Cherry Blossom." Sasuke finished the sentence for her, meeting her eyes with (what he hoped) was a small, sincere smile.

She didn't look like she bought it. She continued staring at him, letting her hand drop to her side. She turned her gaze to the nearby river like Sasuke had done a moment ago.

"What are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked her hesitantly.

"Oh... everyone else was off with their 'significant other'. I didn't want to crash anyone elses good time." She stated quietly, pursing her lips to stop herself from crying again. It was hard to admit she felt left out; especially to Sasuke. After all, shinobi aren't supposed to show emotion.

"Mm." Sasuke sighed. "Y'know, I was looking for you. At the festival."

Sakura chanced a look at him. "You were...?"

"Yeah. Nobody knew where you were. I was heading home when I found you here." He hesitantly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry you felt left out."

She relaxed at his touch and leant against him, blushing slightly. "...Sasuke-kun. Why are you here? I mean... why do you care that I was here crying? You could've easily avoided me..."

"Well, uh..." Sasuke stared at the design on his kimono. "Several reasons. One being, it's dangerous at night. I wasn't going to leave a girl out here alone when some drunken freak could stumble over from the festival and cause someone harm. Another reason is..." Here he hesitated, blushing slightly himself. "If I didn't come comfort you, some other nice guy could've come and won you over."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she chanced another look at him. "W-...what?"

Sasuke took a deep breath, and, before he could chicken out, he kissed her. Her eyes widened even more, but, after she seemed to get he wasn't kidding, she slowly moved to kiss him back. When he pulled away, she hugged him tightly, burying her head against his shoulder. "I knew I wasn't loving you for nothing..."

Before he could reply, a wind came by and blew more blossoms with it, and a flurry of fireflies and butterflies swirled around them. Smirking, Sasuke made a mental note to thank Shino later. As Sakura sat up again, Sasuke once more caught her lips with his.

There was no sight sweeter on the eve of a festival dedicated to a simple thing in Konoha - the Cherry Blossom.

--xoxo--

A/N: So much better than my Neji/Tenten fic. Thank you for reading, and please review!! 33 I hope you like it, Dani. I'm taking requests in reviews, by the way. Next on my list is a Gaara x Matsuri fic. (Don't kill me Dani, it was a request! xD) By the way: Ayame, Natsuki, Kasumi and Miori aren't really my characters or anything. Their names and appearances were made up **ON THE SPOT**. Just to be honest. I probably won't ever use them again, and if I do, it's only because it's vital to the fic that they appear to have girlfriends.


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